Notes on the journey I didn't plan to take... Motherhood, Melanoma, and making it to my Maserati

Saturday, February 21, 2015

I am an ENTP Gemini Fire Dragon

Google's reminder of it being Chinese--oopsie - now politically correct to say LUNAR-- New Year prompted me to re-read my Chinese Zodiac information, reminding me of some fun stuff I already know about myself. Over my many years of varied life experiences, several therapists, and some career-related behavioural study of my personality traits, I know the following:

I am an ENTP, Fire Dragon, Gemini - so take THAT cancer!!

I'll start with ENTP as you may not be familiar with this, the least-hocus-pocus assessment of myself in relation to this posts' subject matter. In my management training at RIM I let the trainers practice their testing on me as we all bonded over a thing called Myers-Briggs testing. It is interesting, and for upper level management in the Customer Support Operations department at RIM, it was beginning to be implemented in hiring processes.

ENTP (extroversion, intuition, thinking, perception) is an abbreviation used in the publications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to refer to one of sixteen personality types. The MBTI assessment was developed from the work of prominent psychiatrist Carl G. Jung in his book Psychological Types. Jung proposed a psychological typology based on the theories of cognitive functions that he developed through his clinical observations. ENTPs account for about 2–5% of the population. (Source)

With Extraverted Intuition dominating their personality, the ENTP's primary interest in life is understanding the world that they live in. They are constantly absorbing ideas and images about the situations they are presented in their lives. Using their intuition to process this information, they are usually extremely quick and accurate in their ability to size up a situation. This ability to intuitively understand people and situations puts the ENTP at a distinct advantage in their lives. They generally understand things quickly and with great depth.

ENTPs are idea people. Their perceptive abilities cause them to see possibilities everywhere. They get excited and enthusiastic about their ideas, and are able to spread their enthusiasm to others. In this way, they get the support that they need to fulfill their visions.

ENTPs are less interested in developing plans of actions or making decisions than they are in generating possibilities and ideas. Following through on the implementation of an idea is usually a chore to the ENTP. For some ENTPs, this results in the habit of never finishing what they start. The ENTP needs to take care to think through their ideas fully in order to take advantage of them.

The ENTP's auxiliary process of Introverted Thinking drives their decision making process. Although the ENTP is more interested in absorbing information than in making decisions, they are quite rational and logical in reaching conclusions. When they apply Thinking to their Intuitive perceptions, the outcome can be very powerful indeed. A well-developed ENTP is extremely visionary, inventive, and enterprising.

ENTPs are fluent conversationalists, mentally quick, and enjoy verbal sparring with others. They love to debate issues, and may even switch sides sometimes just for the love of the debate. When they express their underlying principles, however, they may feel awkward and speak abruptly and intensely. The ENTP personality type is sometimes referred to the "Lawyer" type.

The ENTP "lawyer" quickly and accurately understands a situation, and objectively and logically acts upon the situation. Their Thinking side makes their actions and decisions based on an objective list of rules or laws. If the ENTP was defending someone who had actually committed a crime, they are likely to take advantage of quirks in the law that will get their client off the hook. If they were to actually win the case, they would see their actions as completely fair and proper to the situation, because their actions were lawful. The guilt or innocence of their client would not be as relevant. If this type of reasoning goes completely unchecked by the ENTP, it could result in a character that is perceived by others as unethical or even dishonest.

The ENTP, who does not naturally consider the more personal or human element in decision making, should take care to notice the subjective, personal side of situations. This is a potential problem area for ENTPs. Although their logical abilities lend strength and purpose to the ENTP, they may also isolate them from their feelings and from other people.

The least developed area for the ENTP is the Sensing-Feeling. If the Sensing areas are neglected, the ENTP may tend to not take care of details in their life. If the Feeling part of themself is neglected, the ENTP may not value other people's input enough, or may become overly harsh and aggressive. Hunh! You don"t say?? ;-)

In general, ENTPs are upbeat visionaries. They highly value knowledge, and spend much of their lives seeking a higher understanding. They live in the world of possibilities, and become excited about concepts, challenges and difficulties. When presented with a problem, they're good at improvising and quickly come up with a creative solution. Creative, clever, curious, and theoretical, ENTPs have a broad range of possibilities in their lives.

Phew - OK, if you're still with me, let's have some more fun in my spare time:

Gemini

Gemini are extremely independent. They will not be pinned down by anyone or any rules. They need to experience the world on their own. Change and freedom are extremely important to Gemini, they will never let anyone dictate them, they are extremely independent and freedom is essential to their mental well being.

Gemini make very interesting and exciting friends. They like to leave their mark on everyone they meet. They are very flighty and will disappear for a long time as they meet new friends and explore new places. But when they come back, they will have new thoughts, opinions and interesting things to share and ideas to teach. They are very generous with their friends, they will spend lots of time with you and share everything with you. Even though Gemini is a social butterfly, they always need time for themselves and that should be respected.

Gemini tends to disperse their energy on different tasks and not just focus on one thing thus leaving a trail of unfinished projects in their wake. If they were to focus their energy in one place, their cleverness and intelligence would allow them to complete their project with success and creativity.

Gemini makes an excellent manager, they can motivate a team with their enthusiasm and vitality. They also make excellent salespeople because their ease of communication allows them to be clever and make a comeback to anything a person says. They can persuade and manipulate very well. They can easily justify any move they make and explain any action.

Gemini have the ability to react instantly to situations, and as a result, they have a very nervous temperament. They can be compared to a wound up spring as they attempt to absorb everything they can about their surroundings at once. The fact that they enjoy various situations and people add to their nervousness and that means they are almost constantly wound up. However, if they experience boredom and have nothing to survey, they get the same emotions, the need for excitement and variety. This is the Gemini duality, constantly conflicting emotions in one spontaneous, excitable package.

One downfall of Gemini is their superficiality. Instead of looking deep into a person's real qualities, Gemini will judge a person by the way they treat them. This can lead Gemini to have wrong impressions of people and can cause problems in relationships. Gemini's can have feeling of discouragement and moodiness although they never allow this to be seen by anyone but their closest friends or family.

In their deepest heart, a
Gemini has a strong insecurity about love and requires a great deal of
reassurance. They are flip-floppy about a lot of things, one moment
feeling this way and a few moments later feeling that way. Being as
communicative as they are, you would think they'd express those feelings
in some way, and some might, but a Gemini guards their heart
tremendously.

Gemini people are many sided, quick both in the mind and physically. They are brimming with energy and vitality, they are clever with words. They are intelligent and very adaptable to every situation and every person. Gemini are curious and always want to know what's going on in the world around them. They are not one to sit back and watch the world go by, they want to be involved. This can sometimes make Gemini nosy, they do not mind their own business! This is because they really enjoy communicating, more so then most other astrology signs, they are the ultimate social butterfly.

Routine and boredom are Gemini's biggest fears. Gemini would rather be naive then know the depressing truth, they do not want anything putting a damper on their freedom or positive energy. (Source)

And now.... the Dragon. The year of the Dragon is fifth in the Chinese zodiac. Each year has an animal sign according to a 12-year cycle. Years of the Dragon include 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 and 2024.

Fire Dragon ~ 1916, 1976 ~ Smart, unreliable, and easy-going.

The Dragon’s Personality: Confident, Intelligent...Among Chinese zodiac animals, the Dragon is the sole imaginary animal. The Dragon is the most vital and powerful beast in the Chinese zodiac, although with an infamous reputation for being a hothead and possessing a sharp tongue. In ancient times, people thought that Dragons could control everything in the world with their character traits of dominance and ambition.

Gifted with innate courage, tenacity and intelligence, dragons are enthusiastic and confident. They are not afraid of challenges, and willing to take risks.

However, the dragon is sometimes regarded as aggressive, and angry dragons are not open to criticism. They don't consider themselves irritating and arrogant. Instead of following tradition, they strive for a smooth future.

Health Tips for "Dragons"Taking the hardworking nature of Dragons into consideration, they are healthy in general. They may be stressed and suffer from periodic tension, for they like to embrace challenges and take risks.

Older people born in a Dragon year should pay more attention to the liver and gall bladder, blood, intestines, and stomach, while middle-aged and young Dragons should take care of their skin. HHMMM...

Top Jobs or Careers for DragonsDragons like to embrace challenges and take risks. Jobs that allow them to test themselves are good choices. Some good careers include: journalist, teacher, inventor, manager, computer analyst, lawyer, engineer, architect, broker, and sales person.

In the search for the ideal partner, dragons might find themselves often hesitating to move forward in a relationship and/or unwilling to make a permanent commitment. When they do, however, it is their intention for it to last. Dragons are likely to have a warm, giving personality. They can be very generous to their loved ones. (Source)

OK! I've got that out of my system LOL If you're still reading this, then thank you.. not sure why this struck me as so important and interesting. Perhaps a fun distraction from all my cranky blogging? Perhaps a bit of exploration into who I am anymore... I am grieving so many losses and trying to figure out how all of my puzzle pieces fit together. It has been fun to review the stuff that I have always known about myself. Thanks for being there for me... and for putting up with my fire-breathing tendencies. ;-)

PS - The Robert Downey Jr. photo was just for fun! Made my day, figuring out how to incorporate him into my blog!!! :-P DO love the movie though, for many reasons.

More about Me:

I am a 41-year old mother of identical twin teenagers. Daughters! As if that's not enough, I am battling cancer: Stage IIIb nodular melanoma AND stage III papillary thyroid cancer, both "in remission" at this time. I have had several surgeries and intense medical treatments, and I remain under "heavy surveillance" as my Oncologists like to call it.

Sharing my experience online helps my family and I cope with this roller coaster ride in a brutally honest and often comical way. I hope it will help others as well! Join the discussion ~ comments, questions, and advice welcome!